Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
On a hill in the center of the Maltese main island you can find a city that changed its name several times. The Phoenicians called it Malet (refuge) because it was easy to defend. During Roman times it was called Melita and when the Arabs conquered the island it was named Mdina which means ‘city’. That’s why the city name sounds like Medina, the second-most important city of Islam in Saudi Arabia.
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Burial traditions change over time and are different in every culture. If you’re visiting the city of Rabat, you can explore a vast former burial site with an endless number of graves: the St. Paul’s Catacombs. More than 20 catacombs from Punic, Phoenician and Roman times as well as Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Pagan underground graveyards can be visited. The site is named after St. Paul because of the catholic church close to it.
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When you’re starting your journey on Malta at Valletta, you’ll be at a region with way too many inhabitants and an impressive density of buildings. It is hard to even see the rocky and rough shape of the island. That changes dramatically when you pass to the southwest shore with many uninhabited areas and a natural phenomenon: the Dingli cliffs. It is the highest point of the island, and the steep cliffs draw a different image of the island.
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The islands of Malta contain some ancient treasures: megalithic temples built from giant stones. They are today together represented as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple closest to Valletta is the temple of Tarxien constructed between 3250 BC and 2500 BC. It was discovered in 1914 because farmers plowing the land were stuck because of the large stones. These days the temple is protected by a roof and located in a large residential zone.
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It has become an icon of Malta: The Vedetta watchtower of Senglea. Located in the small Gardjola gardens at the end of L-Isla it is only a small watchtower, but a beloved photo location. The ornaments on the outside – eyes and ears – show what this tower was built for and from the gardens you’re having amazing views on Valletta and the Grand Harbour.
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The harbor of Valletta was protected by three fortifications facing the sea: the famous Fort St. Elmo in the center, the Fort Tigné in the north (with little of it left) and the Fort St. Angelo in the south on the peninsula Birgu belonging to Vittoriosa. Human settlements have been created early in this area and a castle was first mentioned in the 12th century CE.
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The oldest inhabited part in the region of the Maltese capital city is in fact not Valletta itself. Already before the creation of the wonderful center on Monte Sciberras there were cities south of the Grand Harbour. They are called the Three Cities or Cottonera: Cospicua, Senglea and Vittoriosa.
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A fortification at the sea, a national war museum, but most important: a place where important Maltese history has happened. The Fort St. Elmo sits at the end of the headland on which Valletta was built, between the entrance to the Grand Harbour and the Marsamxett Harbour. The fortification was built by the Knights Hospitaller but the location wasn’t perfect: when the Osmans attacked in 1565 they could enter the northern harbor and they attacked St. Elmo from the opposite side of the bay as well as from the higher areas of the headland.
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When you’re seeing the large lines in front of the main cathedral of Valletta you might think about skipping this sight and saving the high entrance fee of 15 hours. But that would be a bad decision as the St. John’s Co-Cathedral is not like an ordinary church, it is filled with extraordinary richness that cannot be seen or guessed from the outside. St. John’s Co-Cathedral was built by the Knights Hospitaller until the year 1578 and contains a section for every nationality that sent knights.
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Valletta has two nice public parks located facing the harbor: the Lower Barraka Gardens and the Upper Barrakka Gardens. Especially from the upper ones you can enjoy good views on the Grand Harbour, the fort St. Angelo and the Three Cities. It is located on the St. Peter and Paul bastion and contains different memorials and artworks, for example honoring Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill.
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